Engine Cleaning Revealed Discrepancy in VIN

[MM9616B]

My question involves vehicle registration or title in the state of: FL

At first this seems like a pretty simple issue, but I'm sure there are miles of red tape in which to get tangled. I appreciate anyone taking the time to read and offer advice on the situation.

I purchased a 1954 pickup in Florida which was titled in Arkansas. Title has been applied for in FL and am awaiting receipt of printed title. VIN on the title was the engine number instead of the vehicle serial number. Apparently that is how they did things back in the day and the DMV gave me no problems with that. Based on the amount of gunk on the engine, I'd say the hood was rarely raised. I was cleaning it in an attempt to get it running when I discovered that the title VIN and the engine stamp are slightly off. All numbers match except for two consecutive characters. Title VIN reads XXXXX16XXXX while the engine stamp reads XXXXXI5XXXX.

No doubt that this original typo was due to awkward placement and dirty condition. I made the same mistake when verifying the VIN. Now that I've taken cleaner and wire brush to it, the difference is clearly visible. My question is how do I go about correcting this? Should I cease cleaning and have someone (police officer) come look at it so they can see what the original condition of the engine is and how this mistake likely happened? Are typos like this common? I have no reason to believe the car was stolen and that this is an honest mistake. The title I received from the previous owner was written in 1984 by court order and it stands to reason the engine was pretty gunked up then, after 30 years of use.

Also, is there a way to get the VIN switched to the vehicle serial number in case I decide to replace the original engine, as I'm not every sure I can get it started? Thanks in advance for your help.

[Mr. Knowitall]

You can try reopening the 1984 litigation, having the order corrected, having the title corrected based upon the updated order.... It sounds like a pain in the posterior. I would suggest trying to clear up any VIN issues in Arkansas, before the discrepancy between the engine VIN and the VIN on the vehicle becomes a problem in Florida. If Arkansas followed a historic practice of recording engine VIN's instead of vehicle VIN's (a practice that makes no sense, given that engines are changed), I expect that it will be much easier to straighten out the discrepancy there than in a state that has never followed that practice. I suspect you'll benefit from hiring a lawyer.